Washington: Indian – American and Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi and Civil Rights Activist Rev Jesse Jackson Sr urged US President Joe Biden to allocate at least 60 million vaccine doses to India out of the 80 million announced earlier by him on Wednesday.

Rev Jackson said at a conference that India having the second highest population in the world, he fears the variant found in India could spread to the rest of the world.

Not only are they (India) our neighbor in democracy and ally, the disease is airborne. We help ourselves and the world when we help to ameliorate the virus. Covid – 19 knows no national boundaries. It does not discriminate by race, religion or ideology, he said.

Alarmed at the 222,000 confirmed deaths in India and a second wave of the virus sweeping rural India, Rev. Jackson asserted the dire situation and there was an immediate need for vaccines in India. Jackson in his concluding remarks said that India needs respirators and oxygen now.

The nation has already surpassed 100,000,000 vaccine doses. However, as this outbreak spreads, it is imperative for President Biden and the United States to step up even more to prevent the continued loss of life.

Indian-American Congressman, Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Illinois, who had earlier called on President Joe Biden to release millions of AstraZeneca vaccine doses to hardest-hit countries like India, once again reached out to the White House to roll out vaccines for the people of India and impacted communities around the world. He is also a member of the House Select Subcommittee on the Covid – 19 Crisis, assured help to India.